Ar-Rashid, a first century ruler, once said to al-Fudayl bin Iyaad, "Admonish me."
"O Leader of the believers!" said al-Fudayl. "Indeed your grandfather, al-Abbaas, the uncle of the Prophet (Peace be upon him) , once went to the Prophet (Peace be upon him) and said, 'O Messenger of Allah(Peace be upon him) , appoint me to be a leader.' The Messenger of Allah (Peace be upon him) said, "My uncle, indeed, being a leader leads to sorrow, and regret on the Day of Resurrection. If you are able to go without ever being a leader, then do so!'"
Moved to tears, ar-Rashid said, "Give me more."
al-Fudayl looked at ar-Rashid and said, "O one who has a handsome face, if you are able to protect that face from the Hell-fire then do so. And beware of ever cheating or betraying your people."
Being much moved by al-Fudayl's words, ar-Rashid wanted to reward him.
"Do you have any debts?" he asked.
"To my Lord, yes, and He will hold me accountable for them," said al-Fudayl.
"I am of course referring to debts to other human beings," said ar-Rashid.
After al-Fudayl answered in the negative, ar-Rashid said to one of his assistants, "Give him 1000 dinars, which he can use to help his family."
Al-Fudayl was greatly offended by these words and said, "How perfect Allah is! I am guiding you to safety and you want to reward me with this paltry, worldly sum!"
He then left, having refused to take anything.
Source: Stories of repentance
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